Two-cycle engines, such as those used for chain saws, weed wackers, etc., utilize a mixture of oil and gasoline for the fuel, with the oil being a specific percentage of the mixture. Different engines require different mixture ratios, and incorrect mixtures can cause various problems with the engine, such as poor starting, excessive smoking, poor running performance, and engine seizure.
It is therefore important to place into the container for the fuel the proper amount of oil for the amount of gasoline in the container. It is also desirable to provide the desired mixture as easily and safely as possible.
A container for such purposes should have at least one vent opening for the exhaust of pressurized gases when the container is placed in use, which opening is closed to the atmosphere when not in use so as to avoid unnecessary environmental pollution. It is further desirable that the venting arrangement when initially opened will not discharge into the face and eyes of the user.
It is also desirable to be able to provide on the container an indication of the gas-oil ratio of the mixture in the container, so that one may later determine visually what mixture is in that container. It is also advantageous to provide a container which can readily be placed upon relatively uneven terrain, such as grass, without being easily tipped over, and a further desirable feature is to provide a handle for the container which is particularly advantageous in pouring out the contents of the container, and which tends to effect mixing of the gas and oil when carrying the container.
While one or more of these elements of the desired fuel-mixture container system have been provided to at least some degree in prior art devices for similar purposes, it is believed that none have provided the advantageous combination of features described and claimed herein.